Dear members of the American Resistance,
We have been showered with good news these past few days! First and foremost, NO KINGS 3 was a huge success throughout the US with 3,300 events and more than 8 millions attendees, and with 25,000 in Metro Detroit alone!! In Grand Circus, the energy was out of this world! Our speakers, Brandice Mullen, Kristen Schoettle, Tristan Taylor, Reverend Paul Perez, Lt. Gov. Gilchrist, and Angela Davenport shared powerful thoughts and calls to action that galvanized us, and the members of the organizations that partnered with us had hundreds of conversations with people interested in getting more involved in the Resistance. Then our march was amazing!!! Supported by continuous honking and thumbs up all along Woodward, we marched together as ONE! Loved the chants, loved the songs led by Isa from Singing Resistance, loved our team of talented drummers, and loved the closing banner! Again, a million times thank you to every volunteer and donor who made this event possible and such a great success! The media didn’t make any mistake here, they knew how important the work we did was and they extensively covered it in a very positive light.
OTHER VERY (YUMMIES EARNING) GOOD NEWS:
Judge permanently blocked Trump order ending NPR and PBS funding. Four Yummies 🍒 🍒 🍒
🍒 because unbiased independant media is the keystone of a free state.
Pam Bondi iiiiiiis fiiiiiiinally fiiiiiiired : Two Yummies 🍒 🍒 because someone as bad will be replacing her anyway.
Dana Nessel sued DHS! Oh, that’s easily a three Yummies 🍒 🍒 🍒 (and a potential five if it gets us rid of the damn detention center).
And the awful AI data centers? Apparently, Birdie is on it!
A data center in Detroit? Ah! Ah! Ah! The city council is pushing back right away. Let’s watch this like an hawk, and intervene like a dragon if needed.
And now last news from the front:
The unconstitutional threat to the Midterms becomes clearer and clearer. Thank you, 🧡 Noelle 🧡 for sharing this article.
An opinion article containing harmful and false rhetoric targeting Michigan Democratic and community leaders was recently circulated. The piece included inflammatory language and attacks based on religion, ethnicity, and identity—impacting Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and Jewish leaders, as well as elected officials and candidates. Its amplification by the Michigan Democratic Party Jewish Caucus has raised serious concerns. In response, formal Code of Conduct complaints have been filed. The 🧡People’s Coalition🧡 is organizing a coordinated effort to ensure accountability. Consider signing onto a solidarity letter that rejects hate in all forms. Sign on here: tinyurl.com/SayNo2Hate
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act could be used against all of us: Loopholes in Section 702 allow the government to buy our data from brokers and bypass our Fourth Amendment rights. With OpenAI’s new contract with the Pentagon, and the possibility for our government to use ChatGPT to collect and analyze your data, this opens the door to unprecedented and warrantless mass surveillance. Let’s call Slotkin 202-224-4822/Peters 202-224-6221. Script below:
Senator, I urge you to oppose a reauthorization of section 702 of FISA. The loopholes allow for unwarranted government surveillance and can be manipulated at the expense of Americans’ civil liberties.
A huge thank you to 🧡Sarah S.🧡 for crafting it.
For those of you who do not receive the Indivisible National newsletter, please find below the DHS shutdown update Ezra and Leah shared in it:
Over the weekend, House Republicans torpedoed a bipartisan Senate deal that would have funded the entire Department of Homeland Security except for ICE and Border Patrol. Then they left town for two weeks. The deal was a win. It didn’t deliver the reforms we’ve been demanding to those lawless, thuggish agencies, but it denied them a cent more funding while we kept up the fight. It also would have ended the chaos for travelers at airports across the country, funded FEMA, and prevented federal workers from missing another paycheck. All good stuff, but House Republicans decided they’d rather continue the shutdown than deprive Trump’s secret police of additional funding to terrorize our communities. Separately, Trump released an executive order to pay TSA, and it appears that’s really happening, despite questionable legality. The fact that Trump did this now is an indication he could have gone this route from day 1 — DHS had billions available from the big ugly bill. But, he thought long airport lines would put political pressure on Dems to cave and fund all of DHS. They haven’t — and that’s a good thing. There’s no obvious end in sight, but Republicans are now unequivocally the owners of the longest shutdown in history, and as it continues, Border Patrol and ICE are drawing down their slush funds and some of their budget is presumably being redirected to pay TSA.
As a reminder, only two months ago Congress was racing forward to pass DHS appropriations that would have given ICE and Border Patrol BILLIONS in additional funds. YOU stepped up, called your members, and stopped that. The fight isn’t over, but Trump and Republicans are flailing, and we’re winning.
SO, as we continue to call our senators for them to hold the line agaisnt ICE, we can also add a word of gratitude for them for doing just that during the last weeks AND we ask them to reject ICE’s plan to warehouse people, while ending Trump’s illegal war with Iran 🐸
Upcoming events (stronger, together, we met in the streets, we stay in the streets)
April 4th, 11-2 PM: Whistle kit making with Asamblea Popular 1725 Lawndale.
4/8 – 6 PM ICE OUT of Oakland County. Board meeting 1200 N. Telegraph, Pontiac. South entrance. We keep asking until it’s done.
4/11 – 3 PM NO CAMPS in Romulus. Rally & March at the proposed detention center, meet at 2:30 PM at Romulus Middle School, 37300 Wick Rd. A bus will take us to the building which has no parking lot. We keep screaming until we win.
4/11 – 5 PM Rally against Data Centers at ROOSEVELT PARK (please note that last week’s bulletin had a wrong location). WtPD is supporting the beautiful Public Research Initiative and we will help with the safety of the event. Please let us know if you will be there with us, walking among the crowd and keeping an eye out!
April 12th at 1 PM: Our corner protest at Grand Circus. THEME: BEYOND NO KINGS. Register here. 🐸
April 15th at 7 PM: Our regular bi-monthly online meeting. Register here. 🐸
4/19 All day Michigan Democratic convention: Come support the progressive candidates who work for the people, not for corporations.
4/25 – 1 PM ICE watch training with CAFE in Pontiac
April 25th 9-5 PM in Grand Rapids: MOBILE PEACE TRAINING in person. Registration link here.
5/1 – 4 PM Rally MAYDAY at Roosevelt Park led by AFL-CIO. March starts at 5:30 PM. We, the working class, unite against the profiteers. WtPD is supporting the logistics of this event. Please do let us know if you are interesting in joining the planning group.
As always, please share this Bulletin with two new more people, join the Signal Chat here, and follow your 🧡very own group 🧡, 🧡We the People Dissent🧡 on Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky.
In loving solidarity,
Audrey
